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Emirates NBA Cup 2024: East Group C preview

Emirates NBA Cup 2024: East Group C preview

East Group C is led by the reigning NBA champions Boston Celtics.

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With group play in the 2024 Emirates NBA Cup set to begin in just over a month, we’re breaking down each group as they prepare for opening night, concluding with East Group C.

The East Group C field is similar to the West Group A in that there are only two teams each that qualified for the 2024 playoffs, but both teams finished in the top four of their respective conferences.

For East Group C it is the defending champion Celtics (number 1 in the East by 14 games) and the Cavaliers (number 4). The group is rounded out by two teams that were eliminated in the play-in tournament: the Bulls and Hawks, as well as the Wizards with 15 wins.

Here’s a look at how the East Group C teams performed against each other last season:

team against Celtics vs Cavs against Hawks vs. Bulls vs. Wizard In total
Celtics X 2-1 2-2 3-0 4:0 11-3 (.786)
Cavaliers 1-2 X 3-1 3-1 4:0 11-4 (.733)
Hawks 2-2 1-3 X 1-2 3-1 7-8 (.467)
Bulls 0-3 1-3 2-1 X 2-1 5-8 (.385)
wizard 0-4 0-4 1-3 1-2 X 2-13 (.133)

Breakdown of teams

  • Boston Celtics: The defending champions are looking to bring back all of the key players from last season’s dominant championship squad and try to repeat. Kristaps Porzingis will be unavailable to start the season and likely throughout NBA Cup group play.
  • Cleveland Cavaliers: After their deepest playoff series without LeBron James in 30 years, the Cavs have re-signed their key free agents, hired a new coach in Kenny Atkinson and are hoping for better health as they look to join the East’s elite.
  • Atlanta Hawks: After their first sub-40 win season in four years, the Hawks were active in the offseason, selecting Zaccharie Risacher with the No. 1 pick in the draft and trading Dejounte Murray to New Orleans for four players and draft picks.
  • Chicago Bulls: After two consecutive exits from the play-in tournament, the Bulls began reshaping their roster in the offseason to focus on a younger core, including new additions Josh Giddey (via trade) and Matas Buzelis (via draft). .
  • Washington Wizards: After a franchise-record 67 losses, the Wizards’ 2024-25 rebuild continues with four first-round picks in the 2024 draft, led by lottery picks Alex Sarr (No. 2) and Bub Carrington (No. 14).

Five games to watch

Hawks at Celtics (November 12, 7 ET, NBA League Pass): Group play begins with the defending champions hosting the Hawks – one of only four teams Boston beat twice last season with the Celtics’ 64 wins.

Wizard at Hawks (November 15, 7:30 a.m. ET, NBA League Pass): Atlanta’s Zaccharie Risacher and Washington’s Alex Sarr will meet in group play after making history as the only French duo selected with the first two picks in the NBA Draft.

Cavs at Celtics (November 19, 7 ET, TNT): A rematch of the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals, which the Celtics won in five games. Cleveland was without Jarrett Allen (ribs) in this series and Donovan Mitchell (calf) in the last two games. Can a fully healthy Cavs squad get past Boston in Emirates NBA Cup group play?

Cavs at Hawks (November 29, 2:30 p.m. ET, NBA TV): Thanksgiving leftovers and matinee basketball featuring a matchup of All-Star guards Trae Young and Donovan Mitchell make for a fantastic Friday afternoon as the Hawks host the Cavs in group play.

Celtics at Bulls (November 29, 8 ET, NBA League Pass): Last year, the Celtics finished group play with a win over Chicago, securing the group and a place in the knockout round. Can they do it for the second straight time this season, or will the Bulls snap a four-game losing streak against the Celtics?

forecast

The Celtics won the Eastern Conference by 14 games last season and are returning nearly the exact same roster to try to become the first repeat champions since the 2018 Warriors.

The absence of Kristaps Porzingis at the start of the season could leave them slightly vulnerable in the Emirates NBA Cup as it affects their frontline strength, but the talent on this squad is too great to decide against.

Boston beats Cleveland to win the group, while the Cavs are in the hunt for the East Wild Card spot. The Bulls and Hawks definitely have the ability to take down the top contenders in the group.